Selene’s Lament
Disclaimer- I don’t own My Little Pony
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, There were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the youngest brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. For a time, all was well.
But as time went on, the eldest sister began to grow prideful and vain. Her many accomplishments and victories began to blind her to her duty. She began to see herself above all. She began to view her subjects as her followers, obligated to follow her blindly and worship her as a god. She began to see her day as being supreme to the night, as it was then that her subjects relished and played.
One faithful evening, the eldest refused to lower the sun to make way for the night. The youngest sister tried to reason with her, but the pride in the elder one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked and cruel mare of fire: Solar Flare!
She declared that she would scorch the land in eternal day. Reluctantly, the younger sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she just barely managed to defeat her elder sister, and banished her permanently in the sun.
The younger sister took on responsibility for both the sun and the moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.
Princess Luna closed the story book slowly, her eyes closed.
It had been so long since that night. That night when she had been forced to battle her beloved older sister. That night when she had used the Elements of Harmony, the mystic objects that they had once wielded together to stop those that meant harm to their subjects.
Life was full of irony. She, who had once wielded the Element of Loyalty, had been forced to turn on her older sister.
She had changed considerably, both in regards to how she looked and how she thought. She was no longer the small, bright child that she had been in her youth. Age and circumstance had forced her to change. Even before…Tia had changed, their battles with Sombra and Discord had forced her to take on a harsher attitude.
As for her physical appearance, this was a change she actually liked. Her coat had become a dark blue, while her mane had slowly become a mass of flowing black, littered with stars. One of the things that had not changed about her was her eyes. They still remained teal colored as they had always been.
When her physical appearance began to change, she felt beautiful. It was a strange thing. She had always felt overshadowed by Tia’s beauty that she’d almost never given a thought to how she herself looked. Without Tia there to draw the others attention, ponies started to look at her, admire her.
Her beauty wasn’t the only thing that they began to admire. While she controlled both the sun and the moon, she remained the princess of the night. Over the centuries, ponies began to throw more night themed parties, events, and fairs. A few hundred years back, they even began to throw an event called the Winter Solstice. It was a day in the winter where the sun would be set early, leading to the longest night. Ponies everywhere would admire her night, just as she had longed for so long ago.
‘It’s what I’ve always wanted’ she thought, as she looked up at the burning sphere above her. Her eyes focused on the red imprint of a ponies head that lay on the bright sun. ‘I only wish it hadn’t cost me you Tia’.
She turned away from the sun, her eyes laced with tears, though not from the sorrow she felt. She had long ago lost the ability to weep for her sister’s fate. She had wept too much already these last thousand years. Tears only came to her eyes when she dove into her memories of her childhood spent with Tia too deeply. These tears were from the suns glare.
When had Tia become so consumed with pride, she often wondered. Her sister’s shift in attitude on that terrible evening so many years ago had been so foreign, so alien to Luna, that she couldn’t believe that she was speaking to her sister.
Like Luna, Celestia had always cared for the well being of their subjects. To see her so casually call them inferior had been shocking. To see her so casually strike one down using her flames had been more so.
When had this attitude risen in her, Luna wondered. Had there been any signs leading up that night? Or was it her mind, trying to guilt her for being unable to help her sister when she most needed it?
Was it after their sealing of Sombra, she wondered. She vaguely recalled the smile that Tia had had on her face afterwards. Was that where it had started. They both had reveled in that victory. At least, until the Crystal Empire had disappeared before their very eyes. It had been quick and without warning. They had had barely enough time to comprehend what they were seeing before it was gone.
Luna had been worried at the time, and distraught that despite their victory over Sombra, the citizens of the Crystal Empire had disappeared along with the city. Tia was silent for a moment before declaring that she would find a way to return them someday. Luna never noticed that Tia had said that she would find a way, not they would find a way.
Over the next few years, their relationship had grown slightly strained. It was not often that they were able to see each other as often as they once had. Tia was awake and ruled in the light of day, while Luna was awake and ruled in the dark of night. It was rare that they were both awake at the same time.
During this time, bitterness began to awaken in Luna. While she and Tia both ruled the ponies, Tia seemed to be the one that gained most of the respect. It was rare to see a pony awake at night, but they were always out and about during the day.
It had been a regular evening. There was nothing unusual going on outside. Luna was sitting there on the balcony of her room, waiting for the sun to lower so she could bring the moon out.
Not for the first time, Luna felt a sting of jealousy. What made her sister’s day better than her own night. When darkness covered the land, it hid many things from the eyes of many, only for the moonlight to highlight the most beautiful aspects of something. The sun exposed everything, ugly and beauty for all to see.
Luna looked up into the sky, only to see the sun reversing its path back into the center of the sky.
What was Tia doing, she wondered. For the moment, Luna buried her feelings of jealousy. They would not serve her now.
With a leap and beat of her wings, Luna thrust herself into the air. She flew to the balcony of her sister’s room.
It was here that she came across the one that had once been her sister.
She no longer looked like Tia, but her voice made it clear that they were one and the same. Her coat was a blood shaded red. Her mane had become Tartarus fire, blazing orange. Her eyes had become draconic, and purple tinted. She now wore a helmet with a back that went down the full length of her neck.
To this day, Luna still didn’t know what could have caused such a dramatic transformation. Perhaps she never would. Perhaps still, it might be better if she never knew. This form that Celestia had taken was powerful feeling. It could be that the temptation might be too much to handle someday.
Luna asked her sister why she had put the sun back in the sky. In that moment, her sister responded. No matter how long she lived, Luna would never forget Celestia’s answer.
“I’m putting it back where it belongs, Sister. In the sky, above my inferior subjects. So that it may scorch their backs. So they never forget who owns them.”
That had hurt. They way she spat out the word sister like it was disgusting. Like it was something vile.
Luna in response to this, lit her horn with magic, demanding that Tia lower the sun to give way to the night.
Celestia answered with a bolt of fire straight to Luna’s chest.
Luna’s chest burned as she fell from the balcony down into the courtyard of their castle. Ponies gasped as their princess crashed into the ground. Guards flew forward in front of their Princess, ready to defend her from any threat.
They did not expect to be facing their other princess.
That was another thing Luna would never forget. The guard’s screams as Celestia used her fire to burn the skin from their bodies.
Luna understood in that moment what she had to do. The Elements of Harmony. The objects gifted to her and her sister. They had used them to defeat threats against their subjects.
Which is what her sister was at the moment.
The journey to where the elements were held was not an easy one. Despite the fact that they were held in the center of the castle, Celestia pursued her relentlessly, taking every opportunity she was given to add new burns to Luna’s body.
After what felt like an eternity of running, Luna reached the elements. She levitated them to her, flowing her power into them. The elements that she wielded, Loyalty, Laugher, and Generosity, glowed with power, heeding her call.
But Celestia’s elements, Magic, Kindness, and Honesty, remained silent, and remained unrelenting to this new master.
“Please!” Luna begged the trinkets, tears falling from her eyes. “Help me!”
“Enough of these games, Sister.”
The elements were torn from Luna’s grasp, and flew through the air towards Celestia, who had just arrived.
“Such things are meant to be used by those who are superior, which you are not.” A wicked grin made its way unto Celestia’s face.
Celestia’s magical fire wrapped around the elements she now held. Her elements, after a moment seemed to glow, albeit rather weakly. On the other hoof, Luna’s elements remained dull, refusing this new master.
With a snarl, Celestia threw the elements to the side. “WORTHLESS TRINKETS!” She stomped her armored hoofs against the floor. “You will learn to obey your master.”
She then turned her head towards Luna. “As for you, Sister,” Her horn began to glow with fire. “You attempted to harm me using my elements, all six of them. As vain an effort as it would have been against a superior being like myself, this is still an act of treason.” The fire building in her horn began to grow and burn brightly. Luna could feel the heat from where she was standing, several yards away.
“The punishment, for an inferior like you, is DEATH!” Celestia declared.
Luna looked at her sister, tears streaming from her face, pleading with her sister one last time. “Tia-“
“DO NOT CALL ME THAT!” Celsestia screamed, the royal voice ripping through the room. Celestia lowered her head, breathing heavily, her spell of fire still building.
“Celestia,” She said. “An inferior name, used by a superior being. It disgusts me!” She slowly lifted her head, a mad grin coming to rest on her face. “I….am SOLAR FLARE!”
With that, Solar Flare pointed her horn at Luna. “DIE MY INFERIOR SISTER!”
The fire jumped from her horn, launching itself at Luna. There was nowhere she could run. She clenched her eyes closed and prayed to whatever deity there might be that it was quick.
Seconds past. There was no pain. Luna eyes opened and she openly gaped.
The Element of Magic was floating in front of her. The other five elements floated around and above her, creating some kind of magical shield, protecting her from her sister’s fire.
The Element of magic came close to Luna and lightly tapped her head. A vision appeared in her mind. She saw herself wielding the elements. The shot a rainbow of energy at Ti- Solar Flare. She seemed to fall asleep and turn into a sphere of red energy. The sphere of energy shot upwards towards the sun. The elements then turned into stone and dropped to the ground.
The vision ended then. The Element of magic floated away from her face. Luna understood what the Element was trying to tell her though.
If you use our power now, you can never wield us again.
Luna hesitated, but only for a second. There was no choice. Solar Flare had to be stopped.
“Help me.” Luna said to the elements, all traces of hesitation gone.
The Elements all floated to her becoming armor. The Element of magic became a helmet. The Element of Loyalty became a chest guard, while the other four Elements became gauntlets for her legs.
As she stood there waiting for Solar Flare’s flames to dissipate, she felt the various burns on her body begin to heal themselves. “Thank you.” She thanked her six silent comrades.
The flames finally relented and Luna stepped forward to face her sister. As she walked towards Solar Flare, she smiled to herself as the smile on Solar Flare’s face twisted into one of shock and horror.
“What!?” Solar Flare gapped. “How did you-“
Luna pointed her horn at her sister, the Elements power building.
“Tell me sister,” Luna spat at her opponent. “Who’s the inferior one now!?”
And with that, the elements energy surged from Luna’s horn erupting into a rainbow. The rainbow rose high into the air, before falling straight towards Solar Flare. When it hit her, the room went white with a burst of light.
Luna couldn’t see anything through the light, but she could hear her sister scream, before suddenly becoming silent.
When the light faded, Luna found herself alone. A giant scorch mark was left on the ground.
The armor that the Elements had turned into began to drop from her body, become stone Spheres while they fell. The two gauntlets the she had worn on her front hooves and the chest guard detached from her and floated before her.
‘Good bye master. We will miss you terribly.’
A trio of voices came from inside Luna’s mind, before the chest guard and gauntlets turned into stone spheres and dropped to the floor.
Luna stood there for several minutes, unsure of what to feel. Her connections to the Elements were gone. Her sister was…..
And then it hit Luna what she should feel.
Sorrow.
Luna sank to her knees, tears blurring her vision. Alone. She was all alone.
Luna lowered her head to the floor, and began to cry. She lay there on the floor, sobbing over her loss.
Luna sat there on the balcony, lost in reflection of the night. In one night, her life had been essentially destroyed. She lost almost everything that night.
She didn’t leave her room for over a week. She spent most of that time trying to stop crying. When she was well enough to leave, she did. There was still a kingdom to run. Even if they had lost one princess, the kingdom would endure without Tia.
A knock from her door brought Luna out of her musing.
“Enter.”
A gray stallion wearing purple armor entered the room. One of the royal guards.
“My Princess,” The guard spoke in a respectful tone. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Royal Adviser Barbed Edge wishes to speak to you.”
“Tell him I’ll be with him shortly.”
“Yes, my Princess.” The stallion lifted his hoof to his chest and tilted his head, backing away, never giving her his back until he was out of the room.
Luna Slowly lifted herself from the balcony, placing the story book back to its place on the book shelf.
There was a kingdom to run. There would always be a kingdom to run. Even if someday her sister came back, and they switched roles, there would still be a kingdom to run. Time was merciless in that way.
You could either walk with the flow or be dragged forward. And Luna, chose to walk.
Author's Note
S-K Of The Flame here. Dear Readers. This was an idea that popped into my head while writing the next chapter in my other story; A King, The Queens, and Their Games. I was so excited about the idea that I just had to try writing a prologue type chapter for it. That became this one-shot. I have the intention to come back and try expanding it into a full length story when I have a clearer idea of what i want to do with it. That is if enough of you think it's a good enough story to expand upon.
Hopefully this has not been a complete waste of your time, and if it was, I apologize. I'm still getting used to this whole writing thing. Anyway, if you did enjoy it, please let me know. I'm always happy to hear from my Dear Readers.
